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Wyden Statement on Inspector General Free File Report

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in reaction to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) report on the Free File program:

“The TIGTA report confirms recent reporting—the Free File program is a mess. The IRS has done a poor job promoting the program, which is why few eligible taxpayers even know it exists. Working folks end up shelling out money to for-profit companies for services that should cost nothing. It’s unacceptable. The good news is that recent IRS reforms to the program do right by taxpayers, barring participating companies from using shady practices to steer eligible taxpayers toward paid products and taking a step toward a free public filing service, which I have long pushed. The IRS must be vigilant in enforcing these reforms, and Congress must provide the IRS the resources to develop a free public service.”